Audax Australia Far North Queensland Gran Turismo North Queensland Gran Turismo Audax Australia Far...

Far North Queensland Gran Turismo

Audax Australia Far North Queensland

Gran Turismo

29 July — 7 August 2012

Information for entrants (Updated 25 June 2012)


KEY POINTS AT A GLANCE

The concept

Escape the cold southern winter and enjoy the tropical climate and great scenery of Far North Queensland

Complete an Audax superseries in nine days

All accommodation and logistics taken care of

Extend your time before or after and make it a great holiday

What’s included?

Pick-up from Townsville airport

9 nights’ accommodation in Atherton, Cairns, Cooktown and Port Douglas

Additional accommodation in Townsville beforehand and extra nights in Port Douglas afterwards available

Brevets, maps, cue sheets and on-route support for each ride

Bag drops on all rides and post-event to Cairns

Warmth, sunshine, good roads, varied scenery, cycling camaraderie, and a GT medal

Costs and registration

Cost expected to be around $700-750 (before any optional extras)

Entries close in early July.


ITINERARY

On or before 29th July Riders arrive in Townsville

Saturday 28 July Easy acclimatising cycle around Townsville, plus ‘welcome’ group dinner for early arrivals

Sunday 29 July GT 400 starts at 10pm

Monday 30 July GT 400 finishes in Atherton

Tuesday 31 July Recovery day in Atherton

Wednesday 1 August GT 200 across the tablelands to Cairns

Thursday 2 August Free time in and around Cairns to relax or do touristy stuff

Friday 3 August More free time in and around beautiful Cairns

Saturday 4 August GT 300 heads to Cooktown on the inland route

Sunday 5 August Recovery day in Cooktown

Monday 6 August GT 600 starts, bound for the first night’s stop in Atherton

Tuesday 7 August GT 600 continues through Millaa Millaa and Ravenshoe, finishing in Port Douglas

Wednesday 8 August Post event group dinner and medal presentations in Port Douglas. Plenty of opportunities for more touristy stuff.

On or after 8th August Riders transfer to Cairns for return flight south


COSTS

Given the nature of the FNQ GT, there is some uncertainty as to the actual cost. Accommodation in FNQ is expensive in winter, which is the peak holiday season — for example, cabins on the route are around $45 pp pn. The event organiser has had to strike some bargains where the actual cost per head will depend on the number of riders. Car and trailer hire and petrol costs for support are also difficult to forecast precisely on a per rider basis.

The basic event fee

At this stage, the event organiser’s best estimate of the cost per rider (before any optional extras) is $700-750. To deal with the event organiser’s financial exposure, the fee for the event has been set at $770. (Late entries may incur an additional fee). If actual costs turn out to be less than the entry fee (by a non-trivial margin), entrants will be reimbursed for the extra money charged.

Optional extras

In addition to the items covered by the basic event fee, additional accommodation can be booked in Townsville before the event and in Port Douglas afterwards. (See the ‘accommodation’ section, below, for details and costs.)

There will also be additional fees for the cartage and stowage of bike hard cases (though soft bags travel for free), and for any tours booked through the event organiser. (See the ‘logistics’ and ‘tours’ sections, below, for more details.)

Registration

Registration for the event opened in April, and close in early July. For entries received after 25 June, the full event fee must be paid on registration. Registration and payment details are available in a separate document on the audax.org.au/fnq-gt webpage.


TRANSPORT LOGISTICS TO AND FROM FNQ

What flights should you book to Townsville and from Cairns, and how should you transport your bike? And what will happen when you arrive and after you finish the event?

Townsville

The first ride starts in Townsville at 10pm on Sunday, July 29, so riders can opt to arrive on Sunday if they wish. However, riders are encouraged to arrive at least one day earlier, and ideally a couple of days earlier, to settle in, prepare bikes and start acclimatising. There will be an easy group ride on the Saturday afternoon around Townsville and a ‘welcome’ group dinner in town on Saturday night.

The standard event entry fee does not include accommodation in Townsville, but basic shared cabin accommodation can be arranged for the Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday night and Sunday afternoon/evening at our base camp at Rowes Bay (see ‘accommodation’ section, below, for costs and details).

Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin all fly to Townsville airport, as do a range of international airlines. The event support team will provide or coordinate transfers from the airport to our base camp throughout the Saturday and Sunday.

Port Douglas/Cairns

The last ride of the series ends in Port Douglas at 10pm on Tuesday, 7 August. The basic event fee includes one night’s accommodation in Port Douglas, but you are encouraged to stay for a couple of days longer (see box overleaf). Additional nights accommodation will be available through the event organiser (see ‘accommodation’ section, below, for details and costs).


3 NIGHTS IN PORT DOUGLAS AFTER THE GT?

While riders can choose to return south straight after the 600, the FNQ GT has been designed to facilitate a longer stay in this beautiful part of the world.

We encourage you to take three nights in Port Douglas, partly because of the better availability and price of 3 night packages, and partly because of the things to do while in Port. So, what might you do on the two extra days?

Port Douglas itself is a great place to relax, which is probably all you’ll want to do on the day after the 600. The main street has a nice vibe, four mile beach is good for a sunbake or a swim, and the backpackers, motels and resorts of course all have pools and other activities. And there’ll be a GT medal presentation dinner in town on the Wednesday night.

On your second day (Thursday), if you’ve had enough relaxing, options include a reef trip to do some diving or snorkeling (see the ‘tours’ section, below) or a 4wd trip to the Daintree River, Cape Tribulation and along the Bloomfield Track. Or perhaps some more easy cycling..?

This leaves Friday morning to check out and then either cycle or get a transfer back to Cairns or directly to Cairns airport.

The closest major airport to Port Douglas is Cairns, about 60 km south. Again, Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin, along with several international carriers, all service the airport.

To get to the airport, it is expected that many riders will cycle from Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway. The support team will provide bag drops on the Wednesday (if necessary) and the Friday for people taking the cycling option.1

A second option is to disassemble and pack the bike in Port Douglas (in a soft bike bag, or disposable cardboard bike box — which the support team may be able to supply) and then get a transfer with a commercial provider to Cairns or Cairns airport. There are regular bus services and hotel shuttles from Port Douglas to Cairns and Cairns airport.

1 People wanting to take the cycling-back-to-Cairns option on the Thursday or after the Friday will need to pay to have their bag transferred by a commercial provider (which the support team may arrange).


Transporting your bike

One option for transporting your bike to and from FNQ is to use a soft bike bag. If you bring a soft bag, the support team will transport it with the other bags around the route and you will be able to access it in Port Douglas (or, if you prefer, in Cairns) ahead of your flight home.

For people concerned about transporting bikes in soft bags, another option (which can be used on its own, or in addition to a soft-bag) is of course to use a disposable cardboard bike box, which can be purchased from airports. Qantas charges $16 for a box.

Entrants are strongly encouraged to use a soft bag and/or a cardboard (disposable) bike box to transport their bike.

Hard cases will pose logistical difficulties for the support team, and their portage and storage is likely to attract a substantial fee.2

2 The event organiser is still examining options and costs for picking up and transporting hard cases from

Townsville to Cairns or Port Douglas, and then storing them there. An initial quote from a commercial operator suggested that such a service, with storage in Cairns for the duration of the event, would be around $100 per case! Provided that only a few riders brought hard cases, the support team may be able to transport them to Cairns or Port Douglas for less than this amount. However, if you are still intending to bring a hard case, you should factor in an additional cost of up to around $100 for its transport and storage (or make your own arrangements).


ACCOMMODATION

What’s included in the basic event fee?

The basic fee provides for 9 nights’ accommodation during the event:

Atherton: 2+1 nights in cabins in the Atherton Woodlands Caravan Park.

Cairns: 3 nights in studio apartments at the Coral Tree Inn.

Cooktown: 2 nights in cabins in the Cooktown Holiday Park.

Port Douglas: 1 night in family and studio rooms at the Port Douglas Motel.

Additional accommodation before and after the event

Townsville

The event organiser has reserved shared cabin accommodation in Townsville at the Rowes Bay Caravan Park — the starting point for the GT. This is available for the Sunday afternoon/evening only (at a cost of $35), or for the Saturday and Sunday combined (for a cost of $75). Some accommodation is also available for the Thursday and Friday nights, at an additional $50 per night

Riders arriving on Saturday can alternatively choose their own accommodation in Townsville. The support team will collect your bag before the ride (though you will probably need to ride your bike to the start).

Port Douglas

The event organiser has secured accommodation at the Port Douglas Motel for up to 3 nights. The motel is located centrally — five minutes walk to the beach, and five minutes to the main shopping area. The cost for one additional night is $45 per person, or $75 for two additional nights (ie $45+$30).


Allocation of beds and rooms

In Townsville, Atherton and Cooktown, we have secured cabins of various configurations. For example, some are small units with two single beds, or a double and a single; others have up to 6 beds (normally including bunk beds). Likewise, at the motel in Port Douglas, we have secured a number of ‘family’ rooms with a number of bunk beds.

As with past Audax events, the event organiser/support team will allocate riders to different cabins/rooms without too much science. That said, we will try to ensure that genders have appropriate privacy, and find separate rooms for couples. If you have a preference to share a cabin with another rider or group of riders, please let the event organiser know. The support team will endeavour to satisfy people’s preferences, within the constraints of the available cabin and room configurations and event exigencies.

The rooms and apartments at the Coral Tree Inn in Cairns are less variable. They are modern, spacious and sleep just 2 (or at most 3) per room. Again, let the event organiser know if you have particular room-mate preferences.

Overflow accommodation

Depending on the number of entrants and event exigencies, some entrants may need to stay in separate properties to those listed above. The event organiser will endeavour to ensure that any participants allocated to overflow accommodation are provided with appropriate assistance — for example, the support team will drop off and collect their bags from the alternative accommodation and may provide a shuttle service to the main property, as necessary.

Opt-outs?

While we have organised accommodation in all towns on the route as part of the basic event fee, consult with the event organiser if you want to ‘opt out’ and get your own accommodation — perhaps something more salubrious — in any one place. In some cases, it may not be possible for us to provide a discount if you opt out — for example, to obtain group rates, in some places we need to fill a certain allocation of rooms. In others places, there is more scope for flexibility and some discount on the basic event fee may be offered.


THE RIDES

The GT 400 Start: 10pm, 29 July, Townsville Finish: 1am, 31 July, Atherton

Starting with a wind-assisted moonlit blast along the coast, we kiss the shore at Mission Beach as dawn breaks and then turn westwards for the steady climb to the Atherton Tableland.

The GT 200 Start: 6am, 1 August, Atherton Finish: 7.30pm, 1 August, Cairns

Cycle across the tablelands, past strangler figs and crater lakes, then down the fabulous Gillies Pass and the final, breathtaking leg to Copperlode Dam.

The GT 300 Start: 4.45am, 4 August, Cairns Finish: 12.45am, 5 August, Helenvale/Cooktown

A very varied ride, with great scenery as we hug the coastline north of Cairns, then through lush rainforest as we climb the escarpment to Mt Molloy, and across savannah grasslands and big landscapes on the inland route to Cooktown.

The GT 600 Start: 6am, 6 August, Cooktown Finish: 10pm, 7 August, Port Douglas

Two more days of FNQ variation, from big, dry savannah landscapes to the rich agriculture of the tablelands, tall timber around Ravenshoe and the lushness of the coast. Overnighting at Atherton.

More information, including MapMyRide maps of the courses, is available from the electronic calendar on the national website. More ‘Garmin-friendly’ downloadable courses will be developed ahead of the event. There is also a photo gallery of the routes on the event homepage: www.audax.org.au/fnq-gt.


RIDE SUPPORT

Beyond bag drops, the four GT routes are designed to require limited support. However, meals (probably bread, pasta, tinned fruit, ice-cream, tea/coffee) will be provided at the late night finishes of the 400, 300 and on the first night of the 600, and there will be some basic support at selected checkpoints along the route (with the level of support possible increasing with rider numbers). Breakfast items (cereals, milk, bread, condiments, tea/coffee) will also be provided for each of the four mornings in the cabins in Atherton and Cooktown.

Mechanical support will not be available during the rides. However, there are bike shops at Townsville, Atherton and Cairns. The support team will also carry an upright pump and some basic bike spares. If a rider chooses to withdraw from a ride, both rider and bike will be transported to the next destination.

If a (non-cycling) family member or friend is accompanying you to FNQ for the GT and perhaps a subsequent holiday, please get in touch with the event organizer. Any contribution they can make to the support for the event will be much appreciated.


TOUR BOOKINGS

The FNQ GT provides opportunities to do more than just ride your bike. FNQ is a beautiful part of the world, and there are lots of tourist activities available. There are also two rest days in Cairns, and for those taking the 3 night accommodation package in Port Douglas, another two days free there as well.

You may want to do your own thing, at your own time, and that’s fine by us.

There are, however, two popular tours we would recommend and where there would be sense in a group booking:

Cairns to Kuranda on the scenic rail, returning by ‘SkyRail’

Port Douglas to either the Low Isles or the Outer Barrier Reef.

Below is a brief flavor of these tours. More information on costs and bookings will be provided in due course.

Kuranda

There are many things to see and do in and around Cairns, from ‘action-adventure’ stuff like bungy jumping, sea kayaking and white water rafting, to sightseeing trips and cultural experiences in the Cairns region. Or you can just lay on beach or swim in a pool, or perhaps stroll through the botanical gardens.

One trip that all FNQ visitors should probably do at least once is the Kuranda tour. After a transfer from Coral Tree Inn to the Redlynch station, we take the scenic rail up the escarpment. While the commentary can be a bit naff, the story of the need in colonial times to link the rich interior agricultural lands with a

coastal port, and the subsequent surveying and construction of the rail line, is quite interesting. There are also good views of Baron falls and the mountains on the way up.


At the summit is Kuranda, a market town set in the tree-tops. Alas you may not be able to see the trees due to all the tourists, but there are some nice cafes and the butterfly museum is definitely worth a visit. (Make sure you get a guide to give you a tour, rather that just wandering around not really understanding The Secret Life Of Butterflies).

The return leg to Cairns is via SkyRail – a cable car that floats over the rainforest and then back down the escarpment, offering magnificent views of the coast on the way. Its pauses at at a rainforest ‘interpretative centre’ half way down, also worth a quick flit around.

At the bottom the local tourist industry offers more ways for you to lighten your pockets, and then its back to Coral Tree Inn (unless you take the combined Kuranda/White Water Rafting option).

Low Isles/Outer Reef

If Kuranda is a trip to do once, a reef trip is surely special enough to be worth doing time and again. The formula is pretty standard – board a boat, sail to the reef, jump in the sea and swim around agog for a while, look at some fish, photo some coral, pat some sharks, get back on the boat, scoff down a tropical smorgasbord lunch, do a bit more swimming/ snorkeling/diving and then head back to shore.

From Port Douglas we have a choice of an Outer Reef voyage (better coral and clearer water, but more transit time) or a sail out to the Low Isles, where you can get some beach time as well as some swim/dive time.


FURTHER INFORMATION

Information on how to register and pay for the FNQ GT is available in a separate document on the event webpage: www.audax.org.au/fnq-gt. If you have any queries about the event, please contact the organiser at [email protected]

or phone 0432 409 755.

http://www.audax.org.au/fnq

mailto:[email protected]

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